Stripped of my innocence in the middle of the Californian desert, I waited for death.

Then he appeared.

My vengeful angel.

He’s everything I’m not.

He’s everything I want.

He’s everything I can never have.

RATCHET

I will not let my past define me.

Abandoned by my mother as a child, I would be dead if it weren’t for Jagger. He took me into the Heaven’s Rejects and saved my life.

Now I want to save hers.

The superficial cuts and bruises on her delicate skin, don’t compare to the pain lurking in her heart.

The pain I want to save her from.

Somehow, I will find a way to get through to her.

Come hell or high water, she will be mine.

This is the third book in the Heaven’s Rejects MC series and although it could be read as a standalone I would suggest reading the series in order.

Rachet saved Ricca from a fate worse than hell and over time he became her constant, her safety. When they finally gave into their passion, Ricca misunderstands when Rachet is not there in the morning. When she receives some surprising news from back home, she takes off thinking there is nothing left for her at the MC. Fast forward six months and Rachet has tracked her down.

Ricca gives a good fight at holding Rachet back but she did annoy me with her reasoning. Rachet on the other hand was adept at reading his ‘siren’ and would not let her build up her walls again. I instantly took to Rachet but it took me a while to warm to Ricca. The storyline seemed a little slow to start and once the pair had come to an understanding the revelations of love seemed to come out of nowhere and seemed a little rushed in comparison to the beginning of the book. However this was one hot pairing and Rachet was a total alpha biker hottie.

The sub plot was engaging even though I didn’t get the father and his reasoning for his behaviour. There were some stretching of the imagination around Asher and how the authorities would release him so easily to a virtual stranger.

I liked it when they were back with the MC (as most of the book is away from the clubhouse) and it threw in a whole lot of coincidences and a huge curveball which I am sure will be delved into in the next book. Overall an enjoyable read and one hot alpha biker to fall for. Four stars.

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

“You’re okay. They’re dead and can’t hurt you anymore,” I mumble and repeat in some stupid fucking mantra to keep the memories at bay. Every morning starts like this. Sure, maybe I did need go back to my victim group counseling sessions, but I knew the Kumbaya mentality they used couldn’t help me. The demons in my head were of my own creation, and they were never just going to go away by telling others who thought they were like me about them. I couldn’t forgive the men for the things that they did to my body and even with their deaths, my mind would
never be able to see the world the same way. They took the last shred of my innocence out in that desert, and it was something that I was never going to be able to get back, even if I had ruby red slippers, clicked my heels, and said it three times.

Life isn’t a fucking fairy tale. And no matter how hard I hoped he would be, Ratchet was definitely not Prince Charming. The knight in shining armor isn’t real, and he was never going to ride a horse to my tower of terror.

Avelyn Paige is a born and raised Indiana girl. While she may be a Hoosier by birth, she is a Boilermaker by choice. Boiler Up! She resides in a sleepy little town in Indiana with her husband and three crazy pets. Avelyn spends her days working as a cancer research scientist and her nights sipping moonshine while writing and book reviewing. Avelyn loves everything paranormal, Cajun culture, and wants to try tornado chasing as a hobby when she finally grows up. She just has to get over that pesky fear of thunderstorms first. Avelyn also enjoys collecting voodoo dolls from her trips to New Orleans.

Dracula, Quasimodo, Dr. Jekyll…they are the monsters that stalk your nightmares. Haunting the pages of books for centuries, they are the embodiment of all that emerges from the shadows when you close your eyes. They are the deformed, the hated and the incomprehensible, fated to walk in the darkness alone forever.

Or are they?

From twelve amazing authors, come twelve new tales, stories that go beyond the blighted surface to see into the heart of the beast. They are stories of acceptance and redemption, love and passion… and chance encounters that forge the love of a lifetime.

Stop running. Stop hiding. See past the monster. Look into the face of fear and you might just find the soul of a man.

Charity Information Spirit of Children Charity by Spirit Halloween Stores provides comfort toys, play rooms and special child-based training for medical care providers though the Child Life Department of hospitals across the country.

"Sanctuary" by Harper L. Jameson Inside the hallowed bell tower of Our Lady, a monster was hidden by the righteous meant to protect him. Seeking help from the amighty against the furor of a crazed priest, Esmerelda found more than a monster inside the church...she found salvation.

"Bander Snatch" by David Michael Charlie has a secret - a centuries old secret - which has forced him into a life of solitude and lonliness. In order to rid himself of his curse, he has to give up the first piece of normal he's ever had. Will the Jabberwock win again?

"Beyond the Shallows" by Kristy Nicolle When English beauty and avid poetry lover Ophelia is holidaying with her two sisters in 19th Century Blackpool, she finds herself unmistakably called to the water. Will she flee in horror at what lies beneath the waves, or can she learn to look beyond the shallows?

"He Calls" by Alice K. Wayne When the Master of the new world summons you, will you surrender your body to Cthulu's call, or choose to be fractured by madness?

"Yielding to Temptation" by Jess Raven Skyla had one job. Get in, get the prize, get out. The house had other ideas. When she finds herself trapped with too many secrets and a man who claims the impossible, can she stay strong enough to fight the darkness for a man who captivates her, or will she become prey to the Portrait of Dorian Gray?

"Holding the Devil" by Stephanie Farrant Hell isn't a game. A night of passion and a promise of her heart's desire seems too good to be true for Evelyn Church. The price is high and the road dark. But can she trust the devil?

"Hyde and Seek" by Katie H. Weill Gabriel John Utterson is drowning in law school debt, so when a lucrative employment opportunity as a guard for a handful of mental health patients presents itself he accepts, and commits himself under the hands of Dr. Jekyll. But who is Ms. Hyde?

"Behemoth" by D.M. Earl Trying to find that rare woman to share his heart with, Francis N. Stein- Aka Stitch - struggles to live detached, battling his honorable and dark sides. His ‘special powers’ further complicate his ability to exist in society, searching for something he has never thought possible- a kindred spirit.

"Night Music" by Desiree King On a fateful night, a young songstress finds herself in the wrong place at the worst time. A shadowy figure seems to fall from the darkness to save her, but who is actually the monster?

"Wickedly Ever After" by Stephanie Ingram Somewhere over the rainbow, good and evil struggle for power. But in a land of magical possibility, can the wicked get a happy ending?

"Immortal Devotion" by Lou Tenn The Father of Vampires has lived in solitude, believing that she didn't exist. After she finally made an appearance, her family business proves to complicate things.

"Loving the Hound" by Mila Waters When death comes, so does he. He's the hound, the messenger no one wishes to see. But when Emmaline 'sees' past the omens, he's given the chance at something he's never known before.

He’s got every reason to be cocky . . . until a female cuts him down to size.

I’m Dallas Easton, the best goaltender in the league. I make a damn good living playing hockey, and with women falling at my feet wherever I go, why not enjoy it? I get whatever I want, whenever I want—that is, until I come across the one player who gets the best of me on the ice.

When I try to pummel the dude, all hell breaks loose. Imagine my surprise when the helmet comes off to reveal a woman underneath. And not just any woman, but the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. Callie Davis is the complete opposite of the puck bunnies I usually go for, a good girl with sick moves and a selfless streak a mile wide. I need to make amends, but she dodges me at every turn. It doesn’t help that Callie’s brother hates my guts, or that my agent thinks she’s bad for my career.

But I could care less what they think. I can’t let our little run-in on the ice be the end of our story. Because when I set my sights on something, I won’t rest until I score.

Heart pounding, I stared him down, waiting for him to take the shot. The second he drew back his stick, I got into position, only for him to hit me right between the eyes with his glove. For a split second I lost my focus, and he slapped the puck right between my legs.

“Motherfucker,” I growled, glaring down at the glove on the ice and the puck in the goal. The worthless cunt actually had the audacity to throw his glove at my face. Kellan burst out laughing and the whole rink echoed as they cheered at my expense. Red just fucked up big time.

The others tried their luck to no avail, and then Red was back at it. I waited for him to throw the other glove, but instead, he turned and sprayed ice right up into my face, his body colliding with mine. During our fall, he hit the puck right into the goal. Rage coursed through my veins and all I could see was red . . . literally. Getting up quickly, he started back toward the others and I slid out my stick, hooking it around his ankle. I jerked him back and he fell. If he wanted to play dirty, I’d show him how dirty I could be. He tried to get up, but I pushed him back down, tossing my mask and gloves onto the ice. The others shouted and skated toward us, but I wasn’t letting Red get away with making me out to be a fool.

“Think you’re hot shit now, huh?” I spat, grabbing him by the jersey. He was smaller than me, so it wasn’t hard to flip him over and rip off his mask. Blinded by rage, I pulled my fist back, only to stop cold in my tracks. I stared at the face behind the mask, completely transfixed.

The person lying on the ice wasn’t Justin’s brother. It was a woman, and not just any woman. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Before any words could escape my lips, Justin tackled me to the ice and my breath whooshed out of my lungs as we slid to the wall.

Catching my breath, I looked up at him and held up my hands. “I didn’t know it was a female. I wouldn’t have touched her if I’d known.” Under most circumstances, I’d have punched him and been done, but I felt like a tool.

His nostrils flared. “You’re such a prick.”

“Justin,” his sister called out. We both looked over at her as Kellan and the other two guys helped her up. They all stared daggers at me, including her. “Let’s go.”

Justin pushed off of me and skated over to her. I got one last look at her angelic face and emerald green eyes before she turned around and disappeared off the ice.

New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.

Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, the Society X series, the Circle of Justice series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.